Congress says it wants Kerala Congress(M) back in UDF

Thiruvananthapuram | Sending feelers to its erstwhile ally, the Congress in Kerala today said it wanted the Kerala Congress (M) back in the party-led UDF, which is the opposition in the state.

Kerala Congress chief MM Hassan said the party expected that the KC(M), led by former state finance minister KM Mani, would return to the United Democratic Front (UDF) fold.

The KC(M) had severed its three decades-old ties with the UDF in August 2016, following differences with the Congress leadership.

The development comes in the backdrop of the KC(M) extending support to PK Kunhalikutty, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) candidate of the UDF in the recently-held by- poll to the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency.

Kunhalikutty won the by-poll, the results of which were declared yesterday.

However, reacting to the Kerala Congress president’s statement, Mani said the KC(M) did not have any immediate plan to return to the UDF.

“We do not have any love or hate for anyone in particular,” he said, adding that everything would be decided “on the basis of merit”.

Meanwhile, the UDF liaison committee will meet here on April 21. The issue of KC-M’s return is likely to be taken up during the meeting.